Issue - meetings

Consideration was given to report of the Chief Officer Resources.

The Chief Officer Resources presented the report which provided the forecast financial outturn position across all Portfolios for 2020/21.  The overall forecast outturn was an adverse variance of £3.402m.  However, this was before the application of Welsh Government Hardship Funding which reduced the forecast adverse variance to £0.248m which was a much improved position when compared to the forecast at June 2020 which indicated an adverse variance of £1.2m (after the application of Hardship Funding and Furlough Funding). 

Welsh Government’s announcement of £260m financial support for LA’s to the end of March 2021 meant the Council was able to change some of the assumptions used to forecast the outturn position.  As a result, the assumptions in the report changed from the previous quarter, and it was now assumed that where we are in line with Welsh Government guidelines, additional Covid related expenditure and loss of income would be funded by Welsh Government. 

The table at section 5.1.2. highlighted the financial position across all portfolios, and identified additional Covid related costs to be £3.2m, however, £3.15m of Harding Funding was estimated to be received.  The Council had also claimed Furlough Funding from the National scheme and £183k was built into the forecast.  Welsh Government had also considered claims from LA’s for loss of income for the first 2 Quarters of the year, and the Council had received £1.1m relating to those claims, of which £744k was been built into the forecast.  The Officer said when all this was taken into account the net impact on the Council’s revenue budget was a forecast adverse various of £0.248m.

The Chief Officer then went through the Portfolio Analysis highlighted at section 5.1.7. of the report and referred to the fact that Corporate Services was now forecasting a favourable variance of £87k compared to the adverse variance at quarter 1.  This was due to WG loss of income funding being received, and the Chief Officer reported that correspondence had recently been received from WG indicating that loss of income funding would be made available to the Council for quarter 2.  There had also been an increase in the Corporate Services departmental budget of £53k.

A Member referred to the money spent on consultancy fees across all Portfolios and said this should be detailed within the report. He also requested an update on the position of the grounds maintenance budget within the Environment Portfolio

In response the Chief Officer explained that the expenditure for consultants was reported separately and included within each Portfolio’s expenditure throughout the year.  An analysis of this expenditure, across the board, had been requested by a Member at the previous Council meeting and this was currently being generated for circulation to Members.

In relation to grounds maintenance, the Chief Officer said this was detailed at Appendix 2e of the report.  The budget for grounds maintenance was £942,857k, and was currently forecasting an adverse variance of £17k which was a much improved position  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6